The Art Equity Fund will own a portfolio of artworks by Post-War and Contemporary artists, Keith Haring, George Condo and Kenny Scharf.

Yieldstreet, the multi-asset platform for alternative investments, announced the launch of its new fund, the Art Equity Fund. The new fund is a precursor to a series of new funds that will allow retail investors the opportunity to enjoy fractional ownership in a portfolio of prominent physical art works. (BusinessWire)

“Investing in valuable artwork has been a mere dream for most retail investors, who love and recognize both its intrinsic and extrinsic value,” said Yieldstreet Co-Founder and President Michael Weisz. “This is a big moment for them and for Yieldstreet. This platform throws the doors wide open to the world of high-end art ownership while also marking Yieldstreet’s foray into art equity investments.”

According to the Artprice 100 Index, blue-chip art has outperformed the S&P 500 by 180% from 2000–2018.

The Art Equity Fund

The new fund will invest in a diversified pool of blue-chip and mid-career Post War & Contemporary artworks, including pieces by Keith Haring, Kenny Scharf, and George Condo.

Art investment decisions will rely on analysis from a database managed by Athena Art Finance, a subsidiary of Yieldstreet and third party appraisals by experts.

The fund intends to democratize access and reduce the barriers to ownership of fine physical art, bringing the process on par with digital marketplaces that allow investing in non-physical art and NFTs.

The move is an expansion by Yieldstreet into equity backed art ownership.

However, Yieldstreet x Athena have funded and offered over $250M worth of debt investments backed by fine art on the Yieldstreet platform.

These are backed by artworks created by artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Francis Bacon, Mark Rothko, Andy Warhol, Kerry James Marshall, Mark Bradford and KAWS, among others.

Art as an alternative investment

“Not only are returns potentially lucrative, but an artwork’s ability to act as a store of wealth to hedge against inflation and currency devaluation and its historically low correlation to the stock market make it a viable investment opportunity for investors looking to diversify their investment portfolio,” said Yieldstreet on the fund page.

Related Story: More Than 50 Investors Own Sygnum’s Art Security Tokens For Picasso’s Fillette au béret Painting

Image: Rush Hour The Met, 2010 by George Condo – by Regan Vercruysse (Flickr)